George W. Bush

[TheStripey1]

As you know, or can see from my post count... I'm new here... I've been asking this question on a few of the other boards that I post at and thought that it would be fun to do it here as well...

It's a question primarily for the righties...

Why do you like George W. Bush?

Please use your own words and be specific.

Thanks.

[ECW]

Oooh, that's a toughie. Give me a week and I'll think of something.

[BIrdzeye]

A week is all you need? :P

[Stoner]

George Bush has endured the most challenges of any president to date. In the face of crisis after crisis he stood strong and made tough decision after tough decision regardless of popularity polls.

Anyone can make the polular decisions. It takes a true leader to make the unpopular ones.

Other things he's done that I've liked are...

- Responsible for thousands of captured or killed terrorists.

- Signed the Patriot act.

- Captured Suddam Hussein.

- Captured the Hussein brothers.

- Freed the people of Iraq and dramatically improved their current state and future.

- Led our country through the worst terrorist attack in the history of this country.

- Took out the Taliban freeing over 25 million Afghanistanians.

- Signed Amber Alert bill.

- Signed the National Defense Authorization Act.

- Helped us through the Columbia disaster.

- Gave us much needed tax relief aiding millions of Americans.

- Vastly improved our country's economy.

- Signed the Pledge of Allegiance bill and made "In God We Trust" our national motto.

- Signed the Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act.

- Signed the Homeland Security Act.

- Created the USA Freedom Corps.

- Successfully negotiated the safe return of our aircrew from the downed spy plane in China.

- Signed Terrorism Insurance Act.

- Dramatically restored the Everglades.

- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.

- Signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act.

- Nominated the best Secretary of State we've ever had.

- Signed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.

- Signed the Landmark Education Bill.

- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.

- Cut the deficit dramatically.

- Signed a nuclear arms treaty with Russia.

- Signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.

- Signed the one bill that prevents telemarketers from calling you (again, forget the name...I am drunk as shit).

- Signed the Corporate Corruption Bill.

- Negotiated Lybia to get rid of their nuclear program.

- Signed the Construction Appropriations Bill.

- Signed Keeping Children Safe Act.

- Signed a bill (can't remember the name of it) that basically helped improve our ports and harbors.

- Signed the Intelligence Authorization Act.

- Signed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Bill.

- Helped and led us past the Katrina tragedy.

- Signed Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

- Led us past the death of our greatest president ever.

There's more I just can't think right now. I am disadvantaged at this moment in time.

[Saigio]

Bush is also responsible for
the death of 3,000 Americans
Dividing this country greatly
The ignoring of severl treaties.
The illegal imprisonmen and tourture of thousands of innocents, resulting in capturing few terrorists.
Limiting the right to bodily domain of women.
A debt numbering in the hundreds of billions, to be payed of by the countries youth.
The limiting of our privacy rights.

And there are more of these too.

[Saigio]

Oh, and stoner, just because you space after each thing, it ony creates the illusion of a long list.

And bush toppled the Taliban? When did ever serve in an army? (for real. When he ran from his coushy corp, it doesn't count)

[TheStripey1]

George Bush has endured the most challenges of any president to date. In the face of crisis after crisis he stood strong and made tough decision after tough decision regardless of popularity polls.

Anyone can make the polular decisions. It takes a true leader to make the unpopular ones.

Other things he's done that I've liked are...

1)- Responsible for thousands of captured or killed terrorists.
2)- Signed the Patriot act.
3)- Captured Suddam Hussein.
4)- Captured the Hussein brothers.
5)- Freed the people of Iraq and dramatically improved their current state and future.
6)- Led our country through the worst terrorist attack in the history of this country.
7)- Took out the Taliban freeing over 25 million Afghanistanians.
8)- Signed Amber Alert bill.
9)- Signed the National Defense Authorization Act.
10)- Helped us through the Columbia disaster.
11)- Gave us much needed tax relief aiding millions of Americans.
12)- Vastly improved our country's economy.
13)- Signed the Pledge of Allegiance bill and made "In God We Trust" our national motto.
14)- Signed the Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act.
15)- Signed the Homeland Security Act.
16)- Created the USA Freedom Corps.
17)- Successfully negotiated the safe return of our aircrew from the downed spy plane in China.
18)- Signed Terrorism Insurance Act.
19)- Dramatically restored the Everglades.
20)- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.
21)- Signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act.
22)- Nominated the best Secretary of State we've ever had.
23)- Signed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.
24)- Signed the Landmark Education Bill.
20)- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.
25)- Cut the deficit dramatically.
26)- Signed a nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
27)- Signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
28)- Signed the one bill that prevents telemarketers from calling you (again, forget the name...I am drunk as shit).
29)- Signed the Corporate Corruption Bill.
30)- Negotiated Lybia to get rid of their nuclear program.
31)- Signed the Construction Appropriations Bill.
32)- Signed Keeping Children Safe Act.
33)- Signed a bill (can't remember the name of it) that basically helped improve our ports and harbors.
34)- Signed the Intelligence Authorization Act.
35)- Signed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Bill.
36)- Helped and led us past the Katrina tragedy.
37)- Signed Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
38)- Led us past the death of our greatest president ever.

There's more I just can't think right now. I am disadvantaged at this moment in time.


not bad... I will take issue with a few of these right now...
starting from the bottom...

38) who would that be? Gerald Ford?
36) How? He didn't even care enough to watch it on TV, he was to damn busy practicing his guitar licks for John McCain's birthday party...
33) He wanted to sell the ports to Dubai... but congress wouldn't let him.
31) isn't that the one where he lowered the wages for the workers doing the work while giving the corporations he liked multimillion dollar no bid contracts?
30) Libya gave up their nuclear ambitions voluntarily... without pressure from washington.
29) Too bad he didn't fund it.
26) I thought we had a nuclear arms treaty with russia long before he came into office. got a link?
25) hahahahhahahaaa... yeah right... your children and your childrens' children will be paying off the debt he has accumulated in the past 6 years
22) Who?
20) So? Too bad someone in the white house told the EPA to tell the citizens of NYC that their air was safe to breathe right after 9/11 resulting in thousands of workers being afflicted with the WTC cough...
19) Got a link?
14) Too bad he hasn't funded it...
13) whoopty doodoo
12) yeah... took us from a surplus to a deficit... yep... good job...
10) ooooo
7) then why are they still there? and obtw, how about all that opium those free Afghans are now growing. They're now the world's suppliers of heroin... Are you in favor of that as well? it IS your name afterall, stoner...
6) His ineptitude allowed it to happen.
5) Right, freed them so they could indulge in a civil war... uh huh... good job....
4) When was he in Iraq wearing an army uniform?
3) see 4
2) Travesty
1) responsible for creating thousands upon thousands more terrorists...

[BIrdzeye]

- Cut the deficit dramatically.

http://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/blackeye/lol.gif

These are the surpluses/deficits for 2000-2005, in billions of dollars:

2000 236.2
2001 128.2
2002 -157.8
2003 -377.6
2004 -412.7
2005 -318.3

Table F-1 of this link (http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/70xx/doc7027/01-26-BudgetOutlook.pdf)

[Stoner]

George Bush has endured the most challenges of any president to date. In the face of crisis after crisis he stood strong and made tough decision after tough decision regardless of popularity polls.

Anyone can make the polular decisions. It takes a true leader to make the unpopular ones.

Other things he's done that I've liked are...

1)- Responsible for thousands of captured or killed terrorists.
2)- Signed the Patriot act.
3)- Captured Suddam Hussein.
4)- Captured the Hussein brothers.
5)- Freed the people of Iraq and dramatically improved their current state and future.
6)- Led our country through the worst terrorist attack in the history of this country.
7)- Took out the Taliban freeing over 25 million Afghanistanians.
8)- Signed Amber Alert bill.
9)- Signed the National Defense Authorization Act.
10)- Helped us through the Columbia disaster.
11)- Gave us much needed tax relief aiding millions of Americans.
12)- Vastly improved our country's economy.
13)- Signed the Pledge of Allegiance bill and made "In God We Trust" our national motto.
14)- Signed the Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act.
15)- Signed the Homeland Security Act.
16)- Created the USA Freedom Corps.
17)- Successfully negotiated the safe return of our aircrew from the downed spy plane in China.
18)- Signed Terrorism Insurance Act.
19)- Dramatically restored the Everglades.
20)- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.
21)- Signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act.
22)- Nominated the best Secretary of State we've ever had.
23)- Signed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.
24)- Signed the Landmark Education Bill.
20)- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.
25)- Cut the deficit dramatically.
26)- Signed a nuclear arms treaty with Russia.
27)- Signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
28)- Signed the one bill that prevents telemarketers from calling you (again, forget the name...I am drunk as shit).
29)- Signed the Corporate Corruption Bill.
30)- Negotiated Lybia to get rid of their nuclear program.
31)- Signed the Construction Appropriations Bill.
32)- Signed Keeping Children Safe Act.
33)- Signed a bill (can't remember the name of it) that basically helped improve our ports and harbors.
34)- Signed the Intelligence Authorization Act.
35)- Signed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Bill.
36)- Helped and led us past the Katrina tragedy.
37)- Signed Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
38)- Led us past the death of our greatest president ever.

There's more I just can't think right now. I am disadvantaged at this moment in time.


not bad... I will take issue with a few of these right now...
starting from the bottom...

38) who would that be? Gerald Ford?
36) How? He didn't even care enough to watch it on TV, he was to damn busy practicing his guitar licks for John McCain's birthday party...
33) He wanted to sell the ports to Dubai... but congress wouldn't let him.
31) isn't that the one where he lowered the wages for the workers doing the work while giving the corporations he liked multimillion dollar no bid contracts?
30) Libya gave up their nuclear ambitions voluntarily... without pressure from washington.
29) Too bad he didn't fund it.
26) I thought we had a nuclear arms treaty with russia long before he came into office. got a link?
25) hahahahhahahaaa... yeah right... your children and your childrens' children will be paying off the debt he has accumulated in the past 6 years
22) Who?
20) So? Too bad someone in the white house told the EPA to tell the citizens of NYC that their air was safe to breathe right after 9/11 resulting in thousands of workers being afflicted with the WTC cough...
19) Got a link?
14) Too bad he hasn't funded it...
13) whoopty doodoo
12) yeah... took us from a surplus to a deficit... yep... good job...
10) ooooo
7) then why are they still there? and obtw, how about all that opium those free Afghans are now growing. They're now the world's suppliers of heroin... Are you in favor of that as well? it IS your name afterall, stoner...
6) His ineptitude allowed it to happen.
5) Right, freed them so they could indulge in a civil war... uh huh... good job....
4) When was he in Iraq wearing an army uniform?
3) see 4
2) Travesty
1) responsible for creating thousands upon thousands more terrorists...


Wow, you pretty much got every one of those wrong.

He wanted to sell the ports to Dubai... but congress wouldn't let him.


Actually, no. This was an Executive Order. But like everything else in your thread you got it wrong.

Glad to see you're not a liberal though.

[potter]

Hey Stoner, just a few comments on yer list. You can take em' or leave em'

-Responsible for thousands of captured or killed terrorists.

-How can you say this? I haven’t seen any trials or anyone convicted. Sure, he’s captured and tortured and killed lots of people, but without a trial, claiming they are terrorists is only someone’s opinion. Or is that the Habeas Corpus thing that is no longer important?

- Signed the Patriot act.

-Which does what? Takes away our freedoms at the whim of one man. Ohhh…I feel safer…. The jury is out as to whether this is really a good thing for America or not. IMO this is just another intrusion by big brother designed to tighten big brothers grip on his people.-

USA PATRIOT Act (11/14/2003)

Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access to your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely. -

- Captured Suddam Hussein.

-A minor player who did not attack the US and was not a threat. BIG DEAL. Glaringly omitted is that he did not capture Osama Bin Laden, and in fact seems to have actually let him escape.

- Captured the Hussein brothers.

-Again, big deal. They were no threat to us.

- Freed the people of Iraq and dramatically improved their current state and future.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul241.html

How much better off are the Iraqi people? Hundreds of thousands of former inhabitants of Fallajah are not better off with their city flattened and their homes destroyed. Hundreds of thousands are not better off living with foreign soldiers patrolling their street, curfews, and the loss of basic utilities. One hundred thousand dead Iraqis, as estimated by the Lancet Medical Journal, certainly are not better off. Better to be alive under Saddam Hussein than lying in some cold grave.

Praise for the recent election in Iraq has silenced many critics of the war. Yet the election was held under martial law implemented by a foreign power, mirroring conditions we rightfully condemned as a farce when carried out in the old Soviet system and more recently in Lebanon. Why is it that what is good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander? -

- Led our country through the worst terrorist attack in the history of this country.

-No, he didn’t lead us anywhere during the attack. I was here wondering where Bush was all day. He flew around the country hiding like the little coward he’s always been, and then made a short address that evening…looking like he’d just shat his pants. He didn’t do SHIT during the attacks. Then there is the question of did Bush allow the attack to happen to further his own imperialistic goals.

- Took out the Taliban freeing over 25 million Afghanistanians.

But then he lost interest and left the job unfinished. And did the Taliban cause 9/11? No, that was Al Queda. Another diversion. For that matter we really didn’t even need to attack the country. They offered to turn over Osama on a platter if we would only product proof that Osama was behind 9/11. Bush said no and let him go. Why?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,573975,00.html

Bush rejects Taliban offer to hand Bin Laden over


9.30pm update: * Taliban demand evidence of Bin Laden's guilt
* Second week of airstrikes starts
* Taliban urges US to halt bombing

Staff and agencies
Sunday October 14, 2001
Guardian Unlimited
President George Bush rejected as "non-negotiable" an offer by the Taliban to discuss turning over Osama bin Laden if the United States ended the bombing in Afghanistan.
Returning to the White House after a weekend at Camp David, the president said the bombing would not stop, unless the ruling Taliban "turn [bin Laden] over, turn his cohorts over, turn any hostages they hold over." He added, "There's no need to discuss innocence or guilt. We know he's guilty". In Jalalabad, deputy prime minister Haji Abdul Kabir - the third most powerful figure in the ruling Taliban regime - told reporters that the Taliban would require evidence that Bin Laden was behind the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, but added: "we would be ready to hand him over to a third country".

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/14/the-forgotten-war/

Yesterday’s House Armed Services Committee hearing on the war in Afghanistan “drew only the weakest of spotlights.� Despite featuring testimony from Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the outgoing commander of all NATO troops in Afghanistan, “as the hearing was set to begin, the only member of the media on hand to hear Eikenberry was a camera guy from CNN doing a pool report.� Last year was the bloodiest since the United States overthrew the Taliban in 2001, and opium production “broke all records in 2006.�

- Signed Amber Alert bill.

-Like he had anything to do with initiating it.

- Signed the National Defense Authorization Act.

-This is nothing more than a defense spending bill. Big deal.

- Helped us through the Columbia disaster.

-Huh? In what way? Are you so weak minded you needed help to deal with this accident? In what way did Bush “help�?-

- Gave us much needed tax relief aiding millions of Americans.

-Yea…I got my 600 bucks. How did ya spend yours?

- Vastly improved our country's economy.

-I think “vastly� is a bit of a stretch. Unimpressive growth is more like it, fueled by an unsustainable housing bubble.

And who is benefitting the most? The top 10%. Everyone else has seen stagnant growth when adjusted for inflation.

- Signed the Pledge of Allegiance bill and made "In God We Trust" our national motto.

-Big deal. Only the Christers care.

- Signed the Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act.

-Which does what exactly? Has he stopped illegal immigration? Has he done anything other that talk about illegal immigration?

- Signed the Homeland Security Act.

-Creating one of the biggest federal bureaucracies in history. Like that big government do ya?

- Created the USA Freedom Corps.

I give ya this one as long as it’s still funded.

- Successfully negotiated the safe return of our aircrew from the downed spy plane in China.

-Yea, after China got all the technology from the plane. Oh…and China is SUCH a threat….

- Signed Terrorism Insurance Act.

-Big deal, protection for insurance companies at taxpayer expense. You really like taxes and big government doncha?

- Dramatically restored the Everglades.

-Like you really care about the everglades….has this been funded? Would this have ever been signed if Jeb hadn’t been governor? And don’t you think that the relaxation of water pollution standards runs contrary to this?

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/K/3/pub3914.html

On Florida's wetlands and Everglades, the Administration:

-- Proposed eliminating Clean Water Act protections for many wetlands, streams, and isolated waters, radically departing from 30 years of legal precedent and putting over 300,000 acres of wetlands in Florida at risk. (EPA/Army Corps Memo, Jan. 15, 2003, http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/Joint_Memo.pdf)

-- Failed to enforce wetlands programs that protect against continued drainage of wetlands on farmland and continues to pursue Army Corps of Engineers projects that alone will cause significant wetlands loss of approximately 16,000 to 22,400 acres/year. (NWF, "Nowhere Near No-Net-Loss," http://www.nwf.org/nwfwebadmin/ binaryVault/Nowhere_Near_No-Net-Loss.pdf).

-- Dealt a critical blow to Everglades restoration by supporting a sugar industry backed plan to delay by 10-years the cleanup of phosphorus run-off, which comes principally from sugar farms whose owners heavily subsidize political campaigns in Florida. (p.20)

-- Encouraged the rapid development of the Everglades when the Army Corp of Engineers ignored its own environmental impact statements (EIS) and permitted more than 3,800 acres of wetland drainage and the filling of almost 1 million-acres. (p.21) "By ignoring the historic policy of 'no net loss' of wetlands, the Bush Administration is allowing unrestricted growth, sprawl and overdevelopment. In reality, we have been losing wetlands by administrative indifference and lack of enforcement. We are paving over that which makes this paradise," said Clay Henderson, chairman of the Florida Conservation Alliance, and member of the Florida Committee of Environment2004.
"We are pleased to see President Bush highlighting Florida's special places like the Rookery Reserve, but instead of staged photo ops, we need real leadership that will ensure wetlands are protected and the Everglades restoration process is pursued with integrity and not stalled by inaction and pandering to polluters," said Dick Batchelor, former chair of Florida's Environment Commission, former state legislator, and member of the Florida Committee of Environment2004.
-
- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.

-Oh wow, I’m sure this was a big national benefit. After they received their 1.2 million in compensation….not to mention all the charity that poured in. As Barbara Bush would say, “I’d say they did pretty well by it� and as Yer buddy Anne Coulter would say, that’s the best thing that ever hit these people. They made out like bandits…and tax relief to boot. (just quoting yer buddies)

- Signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act.

-The jury is still out on this. It appears to be designed to benefit big pharmacy and reduce competition.

- Nominated the best Secretary of State we've ever had.

-Opinion…and girlfriend and business crony…doesn’t count. I can tell she’s been real successful too…..NOT.

- Signed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.

-Big Brother at our heels

- Signed the Landmark Education Bill.

-You mean no child left behind? An unfunded mandate which most educators agree is not the way to go about teaching? More big government intrusion into local school districts.

- Signed a bill giving tax relief to families of 9/11 victims.

-List this again…it’ll make your list look bigger.

- Cut the deficit dramatically.

-Of course you’re joking? The national debt now stands at 8.8 trillion, it was 5.7 trillion when Bush took office.

- Signed a nuclear arms treaty with Russia.

And is now working on blowing it by developing new nukes and placing “missile defense systems� in neighboring states.-

- Signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.

-So? I’m pro-abortion.

- Signed the one bill that prevents telemarketers from calling you (again, forget the name...I am drunk as sh1t).

-I’ll give him big kudos for that…although I doubt he had much to do with implementing it.

- Signed the Corporate Corruption Bill.

-Which does what? I read what it’s “supposed� to do but how does it do it? What controls and rules were actually put into place? The bill has all sorts of things corporations “should� do but where are the laws to back it up?

- Negotiated Lybia to get rid of their nuclear program.

OK


- Signed the Construction Appropriations Bill.

-So what’s he going to do? Wage wars and not fund the military? Sorry, no Kudos for doing what he should do.

- Signed Keeping Children Safe Act.

-Bet ya 10 bucks he didn’t even read it

- Signed a bill (can't remember the name of it) that basically helped improve our ports and harbors.

Why? Why is it my responsibility to pay for ports and harbors used by commerce? Shouldn’t they pay for these improvements? You really like those taxes and big government don’t you?

If you’re talking about the security bill,

-That bill was rammed through only after dems took office. It never would have seen the light of day under the GOP.

- Signed the Intelligence Authorization Act.

-Another repeat…list it again why doncha?

- Signed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Bill.

-Probably a good thing but yet again, more government.

- Helped and led us past the Katrina tragedy.
-
-He was on vacation during Katrina and has done nothing but grandstand since. He fired a competent FEMA director and installed a crony who knew nothing about emergency management. The entire thing was a clusterfuck.

- Signed Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

Boy, that’ll effect maybe .0009% of Americans.


-Led us past the death of our greatest president ever.

-He wasn’t even in office when Kennedy died. If you are talking about Reagan a “B� grade actor with connections, …and you actually “needed� help to cope with his death, you’re pretty tragic too.

[potter]

* waiting for another death threat* :D:D

[Nitrus]

Id like to see "Signed the Kyoto Treaty" added to that list. Unless I missed it? I couldnt see it.

[potter]

Id like to see "Signed the Kyoto Treaty" added to that list. Unless I missed it? I couldnt see it.


:D:D:D:D

Of course you mean "Backed out of the Kyoto treaty"

[ticbeast]

Yet we have failed to ratify it.

[Jaaaman]

1. Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the presidency.

2. Has reintroduced the mention of God and faith into public discourse.

3. Handled himself with enormous courage, dignity, grace, determination, and leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 hijackings and anthrax attacks. He almost single-handedly held this country together during those searing days:

Just three days after the attacks, in his address at the National Cathedral, the President reassured the nation when he said: "War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing."


On Friday, September 14, 2001, President Bush visited Ground Zero. Standing on a crushed and burned fire engine atop the smoldering pile at Ground Zero, he put his arm around a retired firefighter who had volunteered to help, and began speaking to the crowd. Rescue workers shouted that they could not hear him. Someone handed him a small American flag and bullhorn. The President spontaneously shouted: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." The crowd roared with cheers and chants of "USA! USA! USA!" Then he raised that American flag and rallied a nation.
Defense & Foreign Policy

1. Successfully executed two wars in the aftermath of 9/11/01: Afghanistan and Iraq. 50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in freedom.

2. Saddam Hussein and his two murderous sons are dead. All but a handful of the regime's senior members were killed or captured.

3. Leader by leader and member by member, al Qaeda is being hunted down in dozens of countries around the world. Of the senior al Qaeda leaders, operational managers, and key facilitators the U.S. Government has been tracking, nearly two-thirds have been taken into custody or killed. The detentions or deaths of senior al Qaeda leaders, including Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, the mastermind of 9/11, and Muhammad Atef, Osama bin Laden's second-in-command until his death in late 2001, have been important in the War on Terror.

4. Disarmed Libya of its chemical, nuclear and biological WMD's without bribes or bloodshed.

5. Continues to execute the War On Terror, getting worldwide cooperation to track funds/terrorists. Has cut off much of the terrorists' funding, and captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network.

6. Initiated a comprehensive review of our military, which was completed just prior to 9/11/01, and which accurately reported that ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE capabilities were critical in the 21st Century.

7. Killed the old US/Soviet Union ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from deploying our ABM defenses.

8. Has been one of the strongest, if not THE strongest friend Israel has ever hand in the U.S. presidency.

9. Part of the coalition for an Israeli/Palestinian "Roadmap to Peace," along with Great Britain, Russia and the EU.

10. Pushed through THREE raises for our military. Increased military pay by more than $1 billion a year.

11. Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia.

12. Started withdrawing our troops from Bosnia, and has announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.

13. Prohibited putting U.S. troops under U.N. command.

14. Paid back UN dues only in return for reforms and reduction of U.S. share of the costs.

15. Earmarked at least 20 percent of the Defense procurement budget for next-generation weaponry.

16. Increased defense research and development spending by at least $20 billion from fiscal 2002 to 2006.

17. Ordered a comprehensive review of military weapons and strategy.

18. Ordered a review of overseas deployments.

19. Ordered renovation of military housing. The military has already upgraded about 10 percent of its inventory and expects to modernize 76,000 additional homes this year.

20. Is working to tighten restrictions on military-technology exports.

21. Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or bloodshed.

[Buck Laser]

1. Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the presidency.
Do you mean like calling Rove "Turdblossom?" Very dignified.

2. Has reintroduced the mention of God and faith into public discourse.
Why has the Office of Faith-Based Programs had such a rocky course?[
3. Handled himself with enormous courage, dignity, grace, determination, and leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 hijackings and anthrax attacks. He almost single-handedly held this country together during those searing days:

Just three days after the attacks, in his address at the National Cathedral, the President reassured the nation when he said: "War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing."


On Friday, September 14, 2001, President Bush visited Ground Zero. Standing on a crushed and burned fire engine atop the smoldering pile at Ground Zero, he put his arm around a retired firefighter who had volunteered to help, and began speaking to the crowd. Rescue workers shouted that they could not hear him. Someone handed him a small American flag and bullhorn. The President spontaneously shouted: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." The crowd roared with cheers and chants of "USA! USA! USA!" Then he raised that American flag and rallied a nation.
And thus ended his best days as president. The rest of the "accomplishments" you mention come strraight from the White House Public Relations office and bear no relationship to reality.

[lily]

1. Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the presidency.

.........and changed it to lying and covering up.



3. Handled himself with enormous courage, dignity, grace, determination, and leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 hijackings and anthrax attacks. He almost single-handedly held this country together during those searing days:

911......sure after he got done reading my pet goat. I don't recall him doing anything at all about the anthrax scare.

Just three days after the attacks, in his address at the National Cathedral, the President reassured the nation when he said: "War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing."

Just days is fine with you? I know I was waiting to hear from anyone from the White house. Thank God for newsmen.


On Friday, September 14, 2001, President Bush visited Ground Zero. Standing on a crushed and burned fire engine atop the smoldering pile at Ground Zero, he put his arm around a retired firefighter who had volunteered to help, and began speaking to the crowd. Rescue workers shouted that they could not hear him. Someone handed him a small American flag and bullhorn. The President spontaneously shouted: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." The crowd roared with cheers and chants of "USA! USA! USA!" Then he raised that American flag and rallied a nation.
Defense & Foreign Policy

Yes, I will give him that one. From then on it was downhill all the way.

1. Successfully executed two wars in the aftermath of 9/11/01: Afghanistan and Iraq. 50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in freedom.

This one is just too ridiculious to comment on.

[Pookie]

Wait a minute....back to the original question. Who said I liked him? Oh, that's right, I'm not a rightie LOL!!
Purrs,

[Achilles]

....I dont think I can improve on what Potter said

Way to go, man

[Achilles]

oh!! and LILY cant really improve on that either.

[manyfeathers]

19)- Dramatically restored the Everglades.
:rofl buahahahahahah gasp buahahahahaha

[speedracer]

On a ten scale, he was always meant to be a 3-5, possibly up to a 7 if things were nice and quiet, the way we Americans really like it. The pressure cooker of the last few years was a bad break for him in that they focused on the skills in which he lacks while downplaying his few talents.

He was meant to be a quiet, one term, not-much-happened president. Like Carter, he got caught up in something that wasn't his doing, but his response will seal his fate among the worst presidents ever.

I don't hate the guy. It would have been difficult for anyone to handle America during these years. It is rare that we would have our best, brightest politician in the White House during a "lull period", if you get my meaning. He was a product of our disinterest.

Can't say I like the guy, but I hold no ill will. Now, Cheney on the other hand... yuck.

[manyfeathers]

Well...I hate him, and not afraid to say it either. He is an utter failure to the american people, and a total success for all the 'friends' he made wealthy while bankrupting the government. This is not new for Bush, he's caused bankruptsies before. He has a record of being a walking disaster.

Speedracer - I did think your comment "He was a product of our disinterest" is valid.

I think Bush should be put on trial for treason. Along with his 'friends'. What they have done is wrong - against the law even.

Hellsbells - he and his AG fired an attorney who was in the Reserves. That is against the law. The law - something this administration completely ignors.

[BoogyMan]

Well...I hate him, and not afraid to say it either. He is an utter failure to the american people, and a total success for all the 'friends' he made wealthy while bankrupting the government. This is not new for Bush, he's caused bankruptsies before. He has a record of being a walking disaster.

It is, I must admit, refreshing to find a person honest enough to admit that their rhetoric is based in hatred and not in reason.

I think Bush should be put on trial for treason. Along with his 'friends'. What they have done is wrong - against the law even.

When we get around to also putting Jane Fonda and John Kerry et al on trial as well you might get back to me on this one.

Hellsbells - he and his AG fired an attorney who was in the Reserves. That is against the law. The law - something this administration completely ignors.

It is against the law to fire someone in the reserves who is deployed or because of the fact that they are in the reserves, there is a huge chasm fixed between your assertion here and fact.

[Buck Laser]

Well...I hate him, and not afraid to say it either. He is an utter failure to the american people, and a total success for all the 'friends' he made wealthy while bankrupting the government. This is not new for Bush, he's caused bankruptsies before. He has a record of being a walking disaster.

It is, I must admit, refreshing to find a person honest enough to admit that their rhetoric is based in hatred and not in reason.

I think Bush should be put on trial for treason. Along with his 'friends'. What they have done is wrong - against the law even.

When we get around to also putting Jane Fonda and John Kerry et al on trial as well you might get back to me on this one.

Hellsbells - he and his AG fired an attorney who was in the Reserves. That is against the law. The law - something this administration completely ignors.

It is against the law to fire someone in the reserves who is deployed or because of the fact that they are in the reserves, there is a huge chasm fixed between your assertion here and fact.


Well, it looks as if Boog has finally gone around the bend. He's "refreshed" that manyfeathers 'just plain hates Bush for no reason'--despite the fact that he actually cites reason for his hatred, namely his utter failure as a leader.

Personally, I'm always leery of the "traitor" label, but I must say that it may come closer to fitting Dubya than to Kerry. I don't even know why Boog would hang that one on Kerry.

On the business of firing an attorney who's in the reserves: two comments--are we talking about an attorney who pointed out some corruption at Gitmo here? And second, haven't there been a fairly alarming number of reservists and guardsmen who've lost their jobs or been demoted because their military deployments lasted a whole hell of a lot longer than expected.

I won't say I'm exactly amused by watching Boogy try to dance around in his defense of the Bush regime--it's just that it's a bit like watching someone who can't really sing, but thinks he can. It's painful to watch, but it helps a bit to laugh as you watch it.

[Stoner]

It is, I must admit, refreshing to find a person honest enough to admit that their rhetoric is based in hatred and not in reason.

I was about to respond with something very similiar before I saw you beat me to it.

[Elrathin]

I wouldn't say bush is a tratior. More like incompetent, but to put the label of traitor I think there has to be an serious intent of hurting ones country. Neither Kerry fits that label, nor does Bush.

Kerry did what he did because he wanted to stop atrocities.
Bush did what he did because he thought it was in the best interest of this country.

I think on bush's part his main weakness has been arrogance and his unwillingness for change in the war when it could have done some good.

Again this is all just my opinion, but wanted to state I do not hate Bush, I hate his actions, decisions, and policies as president. On a personal level I'm sure Bush is a fun guy to be around at a BBQ, but as a president I think he is the worst ever.

[manyfeathers]

What's wrong? Do you think it is wrong to hate? His daddy hated broccoli - not that anyone gives a F... about that.

I have many reasons to hate Bush. Some of them personal. His actions have affected my life radically.

If he were to be set on fire, I wouldn't piss on him to put it out.

Yep - I hate him and all he stands for. He's not just a doofus, he's a dangerous doofus, 'cause he believes his own lies.

When a person lies to themselves over and over, pretty soon, they




become a Republican.

[Stoner]

His actions have affected my life radically.


Like?

[manyfeathers]

His actions have affected my life radically.


Like?


Oh no you don't, I'm not pulling down my panties for anyone.

It's personal, and I do blame that monkey in the white house.

[BoogyMan]

His actions have affected my life radically.


Like?


Oh no you don't, I'm not pulling down my panties for anyone.

It's personal, and I do blame that monkey in the white house.


Thanks for playing, next!

[Buck Laser]

His actions have affected my life radically.


Like?


Oh no you don't, I'm not pulling down my panties for anyone.

It's personal, and I do blame that monkey in the white house.


Thanks for playing, next!

'Scuse me, but that seems a bit like an arrogant reply, yer honor!

[Stoner]

that seems a bit like an arrogant reply



http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mfl/lowres/mfln130l.jpg

[BoogyMan]

His actions have affected my life radically.


Like?


Oh no you don't, I'm not pulling down my panties for anyone.

It's personal, and I do blame that monkey in the white house.


Thanks for playing, next!

'Scuse me, but that seems a bit like an arrogant reply, yer honor!


It is no more than a short and simple answer to someone who makes an allegation and then refuses to substantiate it.

[manyfeathers]

My original reference was preceeded with a short sentence, stating 'personal'. And that I am entitled to keep to myself.

We are all entitled to our opinions - if you don't like mine - move on.

No need to get huffy and rude.

[BoogyMan]

My original reference was preceeded with a short sentence, stating 'personal'. And that I am entitled to keep to myself.

We are all entitled to our opinions - if you don't like mine - move on.

No need to get huffy and rude.


Thanks for playing is huffy and rude? Thats pretty funny manyfeathers.

It is also a less than honorable rhetorical tactic to make a claim and then refuse to substantiate it because it is 'personal.'

I would recommend not bringing elements into your discussion points that you don't intend to defend.

[manyfeathers]

raspberries

[Buck Laser]

raspberries

Manyfeathers, please don't mind Boogy. He doesn't back down from anything he says--ever. I like your response to him.:D

[lily]

His actions have affected my life radically.


Like?


Oh no you don't, I'm not pulling down my panties for anyone.Â*Â*

It's personal, and I do blame that monkey in the white house.


Thanks for playing, next!


Are you kidding me?

[BoogyMan]

His actions have affected my life radically.


Like?


Oh no you don't, I'm not pulling down my panties for anyone.

It's personal, and I do blame that monkey in the white house.


Thanks for playing, next!


Are you kidding me?


Are YOU kidding me? I don't know what you are talking about Lily.

[lily]

If you don't know, then I certainly can't help you.

[ticbeast]

Under Bush's leadership, the American image has faded drastically in the world's eye, the national debt has skyrocketed, and we have soldiers dying in someone else's civil war. I don't like him very much, but you can't just single him out for America's failures. Blame the entire government. (yes that includes him as well)

Besides the overthrow of the Taliban and the Baath, what other productive actions has the U.S. seen under Bush in the past 7 years? I honestly can't think of any off the top of my head, but if someone knows of any, please enlighten me.

[Labrocca]

As you know, or can see from my post count... I'm new here... I've been asking this question on a few of the other boards that I post at and thought that it would be fun to do it here as well...

It's a question primarily for the righties...

Why do you like George W. Bush?

Please use your own words and be specific.

Thanks.


If you are asking a question which is an opinion answer only to debate the answer then why bother?

btw...I guess I can say one great positive thing about Bush...he has conviction and I can only hope he never gets convicted. ;)

Personally I ain't too happy about a few things he has done but I don't have a personal problem with him as others do. I believe...he has tried his best in a very tough situation. When he was elected we didn't believe we were at the edge of WWIII. I think if 9/11 had happened BEFORE he was elected then another President would have taken his seat. As it stands...he was dealt a shitty ass hand and was forced to play it. With politics in a huge mess he came in with conviction and I believe he has maintained that for better or worse. I can at least admire that about him.

When he leaves office...will the country be better or worse? I don't know. I can't answer that nor will I speculate. Economy wise he gets a B from me. World politics he gets a D...in managing the GOP...he gets a straight up F from me. He reminds me of an Art teacher I once had...terrible teacher really but was well liked. He drank whiskey in his coffee cup and was barely legible half the time but his class was easy and getting an A was almost automatic. Being a Bush fan has been probably the hardest part of the last 5-6 years now. As his ratings fell and the haters jump on the bandwagon along with much of the media...it's tough to say a positive words about Bush that isn't pounced on. This thread is specifically intended for that same purpose.

"hey say something nice about Bush so we can jump down your throat"...yeah real freaking nice!

[ticbeast]

As you know, or can see from my post count... I'm new here... I've been asking this question on a few of the other boards that I post at and thought that it would be fun to do it here as well...

It's a question primarily for the righties...

Why do you like George W. Bush?

Please use your own words and be specific.

Thanks.


Â*As it stands...he was dealt a shitty ass hand and was forced to play it.Â*Â*With politics in a huge mess he came in with conviction and I believe he has maintained that for better or worse.Â*Â*I can at least admire that about him.


Seriously, all anti-bush people need to realize what he had to work with in his first few years. I agree entirely.

[lily]

Seriously, all anti-bush people need to realize what he had to work with in his first few years. I agree entirely.
Yes he was dealt a shitty hand in the first year, but you have to keep in mind that right after 911 everyone was behind him. He could have had his chance to go down in history as one of the great presidents, if he would have stuck to Afghanistan, the country that was hiding bin-Laden. He sealed his fate when he decided to forget about that and go into Iraq.

[Stoner]

He could have had his chance to go down in history as one of the great presidents

For those that are bipartisan he will be.Â*Â*He's already done more than most presidents have ever done for this country.Â*Â*

The only ones you really hear complain are the libs.Â*Â*And we all know how bias they can be.

[Elrathin]

LOL Clinton was a better president than Bush will ever hope to be. But then those conservatives that are biased will think otherwise, and we all know how biased they can be. :P

[lily]

For those that are bipartisan he will be.Â*

Republicans nor Democrats write the history books, stoner. As I said, he had a chance if he would have stayed in AfghanistanÂ*


He's already done more than most presidents have ever done for this country.

You said a mouthful there!

The only ones you really hear complain are the libs. And we all know how bias they can be.

........um.........what's his approval rating again?

[Buck Laser]

Seriously, all anti-bush people need to realize what he had to work with in his first few years. I agree entirely.


Mmmm, I think you'd better also take into consideration how little time he spent on the job in his first few years. At this point in time, he's spent more than a year--something like 450 days--at his "ranch" at Crawford. And that doesn't count his biking time while he's in the White House.

But would you clarify what you mean by "what he had to work with?" Are you suggesting incompetent staff?

[potter]

Seriously, all anti-bush people need to realize what he had to work with in his first few years. I agree entirely.
Yes he was dealt a shitty hand in the first year, but you have to keep in mind that right after 911 everyone was behind him. He could have had his chance to go down in history as one of the great presidents, if he would have stuck to Afghanistan, the country that was hiding bin-Laden. He sealed his fate when he decided to forget about that and go into Iraq.


I understand that Afghanistan was willing to hand Osama over on a platter, all they wanted was proof of involvement in 9/11 which Bush refused to provide. I guess Bush didn't want Osama that bad and this seems to be proven out by Bush's lack of subsequent interest in capturing Osama.

Osama's just not that important any more is he....

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDQ/is_2001_Oct_22/ai_80338926

http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,573975,00.html

[BoogyMan]

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDQ/is_2001_Oct_22/ai_80338926

http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,573975,00.html

I guess its all in what we leave out of our commentary potter. The Taliban wanted to stay in power and offered to hand over Bin Laden only if we would cease our efforts to shut them down.

[lily]

I understand that Afghanistan was willing to hand Osama over on a platter, all they wanted was proof of involvement in 9/11 which Bush refused to provide. I guess Bush didn't want Osama that bad and this seems to be proven out by Bush's lack of subsequent interest in capturing Osama.

Osama's just not that important any more is he....

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDQ/is_2001_Oct_22/ai_80338926

http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/story/0,1361,573975,00.html


Right or wrong, after 911 the country was out for revenge. We had world wide backing. I don't think any president would have passed that up. As it is, Afghanistan seems like the forgotten war. We take troops from there to put in Iraq, it's not properly funded and I never see any mention or complaints from Congress or the President on it.

The Taliban is almost back as it was when we first went in there. I do have to laugh when I go to some of the far right boards though, they are so up in arms about Pelosi wearing a head scarf and I remember back when Afghanistan was important, after bin Laden couldn't be found, everyone changed from finding bin Laden to look how oppressed the women are. We must free them! Oh, how the reasons change when you can't accomplish your goal.

[BoogyMan]

The Taliban may be resurging but it certainly is NOT back near the strength and influence it had when we went into Afghanistan as far as I can tell Lily.

[potter]

I found some interesting information here on the Bush family:

http://www.counterpunch.org/pringle04122007.html

Bush Family War Profiteering
By EVELYN PRINGLE

On Monday, April 9, 2007, the Boston Herald reported that the US military had announced the Easter weekend deaths of 10 more American soldiers, including six killed on Sunday. The Associated Press reports that, since the war began in March 2003, over 3,000 members of the US military have been killed in Iraq, as of April 8, 2007.

The military reported the deaths of four more US soldiers on Tuesday.

Its nearly impossible to estimate the number of deaths of civilians in Iraq, but the Herald reports that at least 47 people were killed or found dead in violence on Easter Sunday, including 17 execution victims dumped in the capital.

News releases out of Iraq also report that a woman wearing a black veil and strapped with explosives blew herself up outside a police station in Iraq on Tuesday, killing 16 people.

According to the January 14, 2007 LA Times, Steven Kosiak, director of budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, says that, starting with the anti-terrorism appropriation a week after the 9/11 attacks, he estimates the US has spent $400 billion fighting terrorism through fiscal 2006, which ended on September 30, 2006.

In January 2007, Marine Corps spokeswoman, Lt Col Roseann Lynch, told Reuters that the war in Iraq is costing about $4.5 billion a month for military "operating costs," which did not include new weapons or equipment.

Since this war on terror was declared following 9/11, the pay levels for the CEOs of the top 34 defense contractors have doubled. The average compensation rose from $3.6 million during the period of 1998-2001, to $7.2 million during the period of 2002-2005, according to an August 2006, report entitled, "Executive Excess 2006," by the Washington-based, Institute for Policy Studies, and the Boston-based, United for a Fair Economy.

This study found that since 9/11, the 34 defense CEOs have pocketed a combined total of $984 million, or enough, the report says, to cover the wages for more than a million Iraqis for a year. In 2005, the average total compensation for the CEOs of large US corporations was only 6% above 2001 figures, while defense CEOs pay was 108% higher.

But the last name of one family, which is literally amassing a fortune over the backs of our dead heroes, matches that of the man holding the purse strings in the White House. On December 11, 2003, the Financial Times reported that three people had told the Times that they had seen letters written by Neil Bush that recommended business ventures in the Middle East, promoted by New Bridges Strategies, a firm set up by President Bush's former campaign manager, who quit his Bush appointed government job as the head of FEMA, three weeks before the war in Iraq began.

Neil Bush was paid an annual fee to "help companies secure contracts in Iraq," the Times said.

But Neil Bush is by no means the only Bush profiting from the war on terror. The first President Bush is so entangled with entities that have profited greatly that it's difficult to even know where to begin. Bush joined the Carlyle Group in 1993, and became a member of the firm's Asian Advisory Board.

The Carlyle Group was best known for buying defense companies and doubling or tripling their value and was already heavily supported by defense contracts. But in 2002, the firm received $677 million in government contracts, and by 2003, its contracts were worth $2.1 billion.

Prior to 9/11, some Carlyle companies were not doing so well. For instance, the future of Vought Aircraft looked dismal when the company laid off 20% of its employees. But business was booming shortly after the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, and the company received over $1 billion in defense contracts.

The Bush family's connections to the Osama bin Laden's family seem almost surreal. On September 28, 2001, two weeks after 9/11, the Wall Street Journal reported that, "George H.W. Bush, the father of President Bush, works for the bin Laden family business in Saudi Arabia through the Carlyle Group, an international consulting firm."

As a representative of Carlyle, one of the investors that Bush brought to Carlyle was the Bin Laden Group, a construction company owned by Osama's family. The bin Ladens have been called the Rockefellers of the Middle East, and the father, Mohammed, has reportedly amassed a $5 billion empire. According the Journal, Bush convinced Shafiq bin Laden to invest $2 million with Carlyle.

The Journal found that Bush had met with the bin Ladens at least twice between 1998 and 2000. On September 27, 2001, the Journal reported that it had confirmed that a meeting took place between Bush Senior and the bin Laden family through Senior's Chief of Staff, Jean Becker, but only after the reporter showed her a thank you note that was written and sent by Bush to the bin Ladens after the meeting.

The current President's little publicized affiliation with the bin Laden family goes back to his days with Arbusto oil when Salem bin Laden funneled money through James Bath to bail out that particular failed company.

Probably the most eerie report about this strange group of bedfellows is that on 9/11, the day that served as a kick-off for the highly profitable war on terror, Shafiq bin Laden attended a meeting in the office of the Carlyle Group, and stood watching TV with other members of the firm as the WTC collapsed.

The fact that so many Saudis, including many bin Ladens, were allowed to fly out of the country right after 9/11, while Americans were still grounded, has always seemed a bit strange to most people also, especially when nobody in the Bush administration was able to explain who gave permission for the flights.

About a month after 9/11, in October 2001, the Carlyle Group severed its ties with the Bin Laden Group, but the Bush family did not. In January 2002, Neil Bush took a trip to Saudi Arabia that was sponsored by the Bin Laden Construction Company and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the same Prince who offered New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani $10 million to help the 9/11 victims, a gesture that Rudy refused.

In the fall of 2003, Bush Senior finally resigned from the Carlyle Group as the accusations of family war profiteering grew louder. However, according to the Washington Post, he still retained stock in the firm and gave speeches on its behalf for a fee of $500,000.

Carlyle companies have also scored big in the Homeland Security bonanza. Federal Data Systems and US Investigations Services hold multi-billion- dollar contracts to provide background checks for airlines, the Pentagon, the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security. US Investigations used to be a federal agency, until it was privatized in 1996 and taken over by Carlyle.

Marvin and Jeb Bush are also highly successful members of the family war profiteering team. Marvin is a co-founder and partner in Winston Partners, a private investment firm, and Jeb is an investor in the Winston Capital Fund, which is managed by Marvin.

Winston Partners is part of the Chatterjee Group, which owned 5.5 million shares in a company called Sybase in 2001, a firm that had contracts worth $2.9 million with the Navy, $1.8 million with the Army and $5.3 million with the Department of Defense. All totaled, the federal procurement database listed the firm's contracts that year as $14,754,000.

And, Sybase was not the only company delivering war profits to Marvin and Jeb. The portfolio of Winston Partners also included the Amsec Corp, which, in 2001, was awarded $37,722,000 in Navy contracts.

Marvin's business partner, Scott Andrews, sat on the board of directors at AMSEC, and the company's CEO was Michael Braham, who formerly worked for Paul Bremer, the leader of the Coalition Provisional Authority responsible for handing out contracts Iraq.

This is the same Paul Bremer who used Iraqi money from the Development Fund for Iraq to award 5 no-bid contracts to Dick Cheney's cash cow, Halliburton, worth $222 million, $325 million, $180 million, and $194 million combined for the last two, according to a July 28, 2004, report by the CPA Inspector General Stuart Bowen, entitled, "Comptroller Cash Management Controls over the Development Fund for Iraq."

As it turns out, Halliburton received 60% of all contracts paid for with Iraqi money. In a January 2005 report, Inspector Bowen concluded that occupation authorities accounted poorly for $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds, and said, "The CPA did not implement adequate financial controls."

The President's uncle, William (Bucky) Bush, is the most visible war profiteer on the team. He sat on the board of a major military contractor called Engineered Support Systems. Six months before the war in Iraq began, on September 16, 2002, CNN/Money Magazine called ESS one of "seven defense stocks that fund managers like," and one fund manager said ESS was one of two companies that "would gain the most from a war from Iraq."

As a director, Uncle William received a monthly fee and held stock options. In January 2003, before the Iraq war began, he owned 33,750 shares of stock, but a year later, in January 2004, he owned 56,251.

The fact that Uncle William had an inside line to the White House can hardly be disputed. On March 25, 2003, Bush asked Congress for funding, "to cover military operations, relief and reconstruction activities in Iraq, and ongoing operations in the global war on terrorism," and the very next day, ESS announced a large order from the Army for its Chemical Biological Protected Shelter systems.

Uncle William has become a very rich man since his nephew took office. In January 2005, SEC filings show that he made about $450,000 by selling ESS stock. But he did even better the next year.

According to the Excess Report, through a series of defense contracts, ESS earnings reached record levels and set the stage for the sale of the firm to another defense contractor, DRS Technologies, in January 2006, and among the beneficiaries of the deal was Uncle William, who cleared $2.7 million in cash and stock off the sale.

Its time for Congress to stop the direct deposits of tax dollars into the Bush bank accounts. Lawmakers need to notify the White House that all funding for Iraq is done, other than what is needed for the immediate removal of our troops from this disgusting war profiteering scheme.

[potter]

And this one (Kinda old news but...)

Osama bin Laden's Bush family
Business Connections

Alliance With Pakistan Will Stimulate Drug Trade, Bring Revenues Under U.S. Control -
Colombian Opium Production Will Soar

The Taliban's Biggest Economic Attack on the U.S. Came in February With The Destruction
of Its Opium Crop

by

Michael C. Ruppert

[© Copyright 2001, Michael C. Ruppert and From The Wilderness Publications. All Rights Reserved. May be reprinted and distributed for non-profit purposes only]

From the September 18, issue of From The Wilderness

FTW - Money connections between Bush Republicans and Osama bin Laden go way back and the political and economic connections have remained unbroken for 20 years. And what appears to be a "new" alliance with Pakistan is merely a new manifestation of a decades-long partnership in the heroin trade.

Conveniently ignored in all of the press coverage since the tragic events of Sept. 11 is the fact that on May 17 Secretary of State Colin Powell announced a gift of $43 million to the Taliban as a purported reward for its eradication of Afghanistan's opium crop this February. That, in effect, made the U.S. the Taliban's largest financial benefactor according to syndicated columnist Robert Scheer writing in The Los Angeles times on May 22. But -- as we described in FTW's March 2001 issue -- the Taliban's destruction of that crop was apparently the single most important act of economic warfare against U.S. economic interests that the Taliban had ever committed. So why the gift?

Critics of the Gulf War well recall how, just prior to Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, President Bush (Sr.) dispatched Ambassador April Glaspie to visit Saddam with a letter and a "wink and a nod" telling the Iraqi leader that it was OK to invade his smaller neighbor. The May gift from Uncle Sam could well have been sending the same kind of message, along with necessary funds to complete the attacks. Drugs and terrorism go hand in hand.

Until February, Afghanistan had been the world's largest producer of opium/heroin, claiming close to 70% of the world's total production. That opium, consumed largely in Western Europe and smuggled through the Balkans, was a direct source of cash deposits in Western financial institutions and markets.

I specifically commented on this at an economic crisis conference in Moscow, Russia on March 7. In my formal statement to the Russian conference I said,

"Just before coming to this conference I read in the Associated Press, Agence France Press and other reliable sources that the Taliban has recently eradicated most of its 3000 ton opium crop in Afghanistan. If true, I view this as a form of economic warfare against Russia [and the U.S.] because it would drive opium production more into Southeast Asia and Colombia. However, I now suspect that this will result in a shift of opium production to the Caucasus under the Kurds which will see an increase in smuggling through Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. I should note that both Vice President Richard Cheney and the designated Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage are members of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce. Such a move would have the effect of drastically shortening smuggling routes and costs into Western Europe and of bypassing unstable areas of the Balkans.

I have received additional reports that Uzbekistan is now awash in the opium poppy and, as in the US with the CIA, that Russian military and intelligence agencies facilitate the trade as a means of protecting access to hard currency. The point here is not that the US it totally evil or the only country doing these things. But the US is far and away the most advanced nation when it comes to the use of such methods to achieve superiority. As [Russian economist Michael] Khazin has noted, the US and Britain and Germany started the conflict in Kosovo in 1999 to stave off a collapse of western markets following the Asian collapse of 1997-8. Now Colombia is a last-ditch effort to protect the US markets and European opposition is jeopardizing that plan."

The Taliban's actions this year severed the ruling military junta in Pakistan from its primary source of foreign revenues and made bin Laden and the Taliban completely expendable in the eyes of the Pakistani government. It also cut off billions of dollars in revenues that had been previously laundered through western banks and Russian financial institutions connected to them.

Now as US military action will replace the Taliban government and fresh crops will be planted in Afghanistan, the slack in cash flow will assuredly be replaced by dramatically increased opium production in Colombia; the revenues from that effort being needed to maintain the revenue streams into Wall Street. Prior to the WTC attacks, credible sources, including the U.S. government, the IMF, Le Monde and the U.S. Senate placed the amount of drug cash flowing into Wall Street and U.S. banks at around $250-$300 billion a year.

In that context, the real history of Osama bin Laden, as America's useful terrorist-du-jour reveals a long and continuous history, interwoven with the drug trade and the Bush family, of supporting conflicts that have benefited U.S. military and economic interests.

bin Laden

There are direct historical links between Osama bin Laden's business interests and those of the Bush family. On September 15 I received the following message from FTW subscriber, Professor John Metzger of Michigan State University:

"We should revisit the history of BCCI, a bank used by the legendary Palestinian terrorist known as Abu Nidal. BCCI was closely tied to American and Pakistan intelligence. Its clients included the Afghan rebels, and the brother of Osama bin Laden, Salem. Salem bin Laden named Houston investment broker James R. Bath as his business representative in Texas, right after George W. BushÕs father became CIA director in 1976. By 1977, Bath invested $50,000 into juniorÕs first business, Arbusto Energy, while Osama bin Laden would soon become a CIA asset. George W. BushÕs FBI director Robert Mueller was part of the Justice DepartmentÕs questionable investigation of BCCI. (On BCCI, the bin Ladens, and the Bushes, see the books, The Outlaw Bank, A Full Service Bank, and Fortunate Son)." Further details of the business and financial relationships between the Bush and bin Laden family are found in Peter Brewton's 1992 book The Mafia, CIA and George Bush. BCCI, incidentally, was founded by a Pakistani.

Economics Professor Michel Chossudovsky of the University of Ottawa has just completed a detailed history of bin Laden's career detailing his secret funding and logistical support to terrorist organizations beginning from his early CIA-supported roots in the 1980s as a "freedom fighter" through to the present day. Chossudovsky's compelling and well documented article, Who Is Osama Bin Laden? dated Sept 12, 2001 can be found on the Internet at: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html.

Bin Laden's role has not just been as a practitioner of terrorist acts but as a trainer and supplier of terrorist organizations around the world. Included in bin Laden's coterie are terrorist groups linked to the Balkans, Albania, the KLA (a U.S. ally), and rebel groups leading the insurrection against Russia in Chechnya.

As FTW described in 1998, and as confirmed by Chossudovsky, the key to understanding U.S. support of bin Laden is to grasp that he has always been controlled by a cutout, the Pakistani government and its intelligence service the ISI. In this manner there has been virtually no direct contact between bin Laden and the CIA. This has served the dual purpose of maintaining his apparent "purity" with his followers and providing plausible deniability for the CIA. The whole underlying pretext for this relationship evaporated with the Taliban's destruction of the opium crop in February.

Chossudovsky writes:

"The history of the drug trade in Central Asia is intimately related to the CIA's covert operations. Prior to the Soviet-Afghan war, opium production in Afghanistan and Pakistan was directed to small regional markets. There was no local production of heroin. In this regard [Professor] Alfred McCoy's study confirms that within two years of the onslaught of the CIA operation in Afghanistan, 'the Pakistan-Afghanistan borderlands became the world's top heroin producer, supplying 60 per sent of the U.S. demandÉ

"With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a new surge in opium production has unfolded. (According to UN estimates, the production of opium in Afghanistan in 1998-99 -- coinciding with the build up of armed insurgencies in the former Soviet republics -- reached a record high of 4600 metric tons. Powerful business syndicates in the former Soviet Union allied with organized crime are competing for the strategic control over the heroin routes.

"The ISI's extensive intelligence military-network was not dismantled in the wake of the Cold War. The CIA continued to support the Islamic "jihad" out of PakistanÉ"

"É The Golden Crescent drug trade was also being used to finance and equip the Bosnian Muslim Army (starting in the early 1990s) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In the last few months there is evidence that Mujhideen mercenaries are fighting in the ranks of the KLA-NLA terrorists in their assaults into MacedoniaÉ

"É With regard to Chechnya, the main rebel leaders Shamil Basayev and Al Khattab were trained and indoctrinated in CIA sponsored camps in Afghanistan and PakistanÉ In this regard, the involvement of Pakistan's ISI and its radical Islamic proxies are actually calling the shots in this war.

"Russia's main pipeline route transits through Chechnya and Dagestan. Despite Washington's perfunctory condemnation of Islamic terrorism, the indirect beneficiaries of the Chechen war are the Anglo-American oil conglomerates which are vying for control over oil resources and pipeline corridors out of the Caspian Sea basin."

The oil and drug connections were the subject of FTW's story, The Bush-Cheney drug Empire in October, 2000. That story is online at http://www.fromthewilderness.com/fre...ney-drugs.html. Both Bush and Cheney are oil men.

George Bush, Sr. was Vice President and, by virtue of executive Order 12333, in charge of all U.S. intelligence and narcotics operations from 1981 through 1989. As President from 1989 through 1993, he continued and expanded his control in these areas. Thus, it was Bush (the elder) who directly nourished and nurtured bin Laden's evolution.

Dramatic Confirmation From Indian Government

The web site of the Indian Embassy in Washington contains dramatic confirmation for these positions. On September 4, 2000, B. Raman, Director of India's Institute for Topical Studies wrote an open letter to the U.S. Congress entitled Pakistan's Noriega's. That eight-page article exposed the depth of Pakistani government involvement in the drug trade. It may be viewed at:

www.indianembassy.org/int_media/
saag_september_04_2000.html.
[/u]

[NortheastCynic]

I won't say I love President Bush, because I don't, but he isn't the worst President we've ever had [Nixon] but he certainly isn't a good one.Â*Â*I don't hate him nor do I think he's an evil person, but he just doesn't promote traditional American values: the Constitution, limited government, etc.Â*Â*Now, in fairness, I'd be saying the same thing about 90% of our Presidents, but hey, the question was about this President.

Problems I have with the Bush Administration:
Signed No Child Left Behind into law, further entrenching the Federal government into the realm of education, right where it doesn't belong.

Signed the USA PATRIOT ACT into law: parts of it have already been found unConstitutional and I believe there are aspects of it left that still are unConstitutional.

Has not tried any terrorist since the WoT started.Â*Â*Okay, so we know they're terrorists, we're holding them in Cuba, we're POSITIVE they're terrorists...but we're not going to try them?Â*Â*Try them, find them guilty and THEN strip away every one of their rights, not the other way around.

He's as fiscally irresponsible as any Democrat: No explanation necessary.

He has stood in the way of even the most minor scientific breakthroughs [stem cell research] on the grounds of "immorality".

Iraq.Â*Â*Now hold on.Â*Â*I'm not going to jump on the President for going into Iraq, based on what we knew pre-war, Iraq appeared to be a threat to the country.Â*Â*What I'm going to criticize the President for is his obvious mismanagement of the "post-war" situation.

Raising barriers to free trade [tariffs that violated the WTOs guidelines].

He allowed illegal aliens to stay in this country so long as they are working...after all, it's just the law they're breaking.

He appointed two of the worst Attorney Generals in the history of the United States.Â*Â*Only babysteps above Janet Reno, who should be charged with so many crimes I cannot list them here.

-NC

[Stoner]

He appointed two of the worst Attorney Generals in the history of the United States

I don't know. John Ashcroft, Janet Reno and Edwin Meese could easily be #1 as well. It's a coin-flip. Although I think people are judging Gonzales a bit too early. He may not be as bad as it seems.

Bobby Kennedy was hands down the best AG we've ever had.

[NortheastCynic]

Janet Reno is in a league of her own, but I do believe that Ashcroft is a distant second. Gonzalez is not nearly as bad as the two of them, but he certainly not good at all. I don't know much about Meese to be honest with you, so I can't really comment on him.

-NC

[speedracer]

I don't know. John Ashcroft, Janet Reno and Edwin Meese could easily be #1 as well.

Reno was horrendous, but I think hers was a leadership problem. Ashcroft was busy suing states that were doing things he didn't morally agree with, with defies his stated position as a states' rights issue. Oh, and his Justice Dept was too busy prosecuting potheads to notice any terrorist threats that might have been seen were he not knee deep in Oregon's business.

Although I think people are judging Gonzales a bit too early. He may not be as bad as it seems.

Whereas I think Reno was a lack of leadership and accountability, Ashcroft was overzealousness and putting personal morals above the Constitution, Gonzalez is just good old fashioned incompetence. Normally I'd say that's a blessing; it keeps Justice out of the peoples' hair.

But this is an extremely poor choice of timing in American history for incompetence. The times he exists in is what will define him as among the worst ever.

Bobby Kennedy was hands down the best AG we've ever had.

As far as I know and understand, I agree wholeheartedly.

[NortheastCynic]

Speedracer, I agree with everything you said there with the exception of Reno's problem being a leadership one. She intentionally convicted and confined people of crimes that they were clearly innocent of, in the instance of one woman who got caught up in Reno's child molestation witchhunt, she went as far as stripping the woman naked and leaving her incarcerated until she confessed to a crime she didn't compete. If Janet Reno was a foreign head of state she would be guilty of crimes against humanity. And let's not even get into the Branch Davidian mass-murder. Her problems go well beyond leadership.
http://www.cato.org/pubs/policy_report/v26n6/cpr-26n6-1.pdf

-NC

[lily]

I have to agree, NC. The Branch Davidian fiasco will always be her legacy......well that and maybe her SNL stint.[/align]

[Stoner]

I don't know much about Meese to be honest with you, so I can't really comment on him.


Scumbag served under the Reagan administration.